Sunderland hope to cure scoring problems with Man City striker

Roque Santa Cruz may be handed a route out of Manchester City northbound on the A1

Sunderland are ready to make a move for Roque Santa Cruz as Steve Bruce looks to add a goalscorer to his squad.

Sunderland Carling Cup exit at the hands of Brighton on Tuesday night highlighted the Mackems need for another striker following the losses of Darren Bent and Danny Welbeck, and Bruce is eyeing the out-of-favour Manchester City striker.

Santa Cruz has made just 24 appearances for Manchester City in his two seasons for the club and you could be forgiven if you didn’t realise he was still at the club.

A loan spell at Blackburn towards the end of last season offered Santsa Cruz some regular game time but the Paraguayan failed to find the net in six attempts.

With four goals in his last two seasons, Bruce would be taking a chance on Santa Cruz but he should be able to secure the striker for a nominal fee.

In the Paraguyan’s first season in the Premier League he played consistently for Blackburn and scored 23 times.

Santa Cruz’s next season was affected by injury and while he made 27 appearances, he only managed six goals and has not had a regular run in any team since then.

Bruce may have splashed £14m on two strikersin Connor Wickham and Ji Dong-Won this summer but both are young and need time to adjust to the demands of the Premier League, and Santa Cruz’s experience would certainly benefit Sunderland.

Sunderland have managed to find the net just once in their opening three games of the new season and while many thought Bruce’s 11 new recruits would see Sunderland challenge for Europe this season, it’s clear he needs to solve the goalscoring problem.

Given a consistent run in the side, Santa Cruz can become an asset to Sunderland and for a nominal fee it’s worth taking the risk.

Robbie studied sports journalism at the University of Gloucestershire, an establishment chosen for its proximity to Cheltenham racecourse, where he was a season ticket holder. Upon graduation, Robbie was a contributor to GolfPunk, a national magazine aimed at ridding golf of its traditionalist image, before joining the news.ladbrokes team.